Stars: Sam Neill

Summary: The story of man's exploration of deep space towards the end of the 20th century and a look at how astronomers work and what they can predict for the future. Featuring: Star Stuff, Staying Alive, Black Holes, Are We Alone?, New Worlds and Boldly Go.

This awe-inspiring six-part TV series, hosted by actor Sam Neill, explores the universe using state-of-the-art computer graphics. The programme poses big questions while it reveals fascinating glimpses of outer space. The release includes "Star Stuff," "Staying Alive," "Black Holes," "Are We Alone

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Confirming that art and commerce can co-exist, 2001: A Space Odysseywas the biggest box-office hit of 1968, remains the greatest science fiction film yet made and is among the most revolutionary, challenging and debated work of the 20th century. It begins within a pre-historic age. A black monolith uplifts the intelligence of a group of apes on the African plains. The most famous edit in cinema introduces the 21st century, and after a second monolith is found on the moon a mission is launched to Jupiter. On the spacecraft are Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Poole (Gary Lockwood), along with the most famous computer in fiction, HAL. Their adventure will be, as per the original title, a "journey beyond the stars". Written by science fiction visionary Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, 2001elevated the SF film to entirely new levels, being rigorously constructed with a story on the most epic of scales. Four years in the making and filmed in 70 mm, the attention to detail is staggering and four decades later barely any aspect of the film looks dated, the visual richness and elegant pacing creating the sense of actually being in space more convincingly than any other film. A sequel, 2010: Odyssey Two(1984) followed, while Solaris(1972), Close Encounters of the Third Kind(1977), The Abyss(1989) and A.I.(2001) are all indebted to this absolute classic which towers monolithically over them all.

On the DVD: There is nothing but the original trailer which, given the status of the film and the existence of an excellent making-of documentary shown on Channel 4 in 2001, is particularly disappointing. Shortly before he died Kubrick supervised the restoration of the film and the production of new 70 mm prints for theatrical release in 2001. Fortunately the DVD has been taken from this material and transferred at the 70 mm ratio of 2.21-1. There is some slight cropping noticeable, but both anamorphically enhanced image and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (the film was originally released with a six-channel magnetic sound) are excellent, making this transfer infinitely preferable to previous video incarnations. --Gary S Dalkin

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Photo And Storyboard Galleries, Trailer, Encyclopaedia Of Facts, Website Access Links
Year:	2001
Release Date:	December 3, 2001
Runtime:	176 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	B B C D V D 1090
Keywords:	Final, World, Frontier, Any, Beyond, Our, Space, Living, Ultimate, Wide, Screen, Journey, Universe, Known, Exploration
Genre:	Living World/Universe